Albert Sidney Johnston (1803 - 1862)

One hundred forty-four years ago today, on April 6, 1862, Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston died during the bloody Battle of Shiloh. Wounded in the leg, Johnston did not seek medical attention quickly enough, and a severed artery caused him to bleed to death.

A Kentucky native, Johnston graduated from the United States Military Academy (like many generals of his day) and served in the American army. He fought in the Black Hawk War against Native Americans (which began 174 years ago, on April 6, 1832) and served in Texas during the Texas Revolution. He was the Republic of Texas' Secretary of War from 1838 to 1840. Johnston's next military assignment was the Mexican War, when he volunteered and fought at Monterrey. Johnston reentered the American army in 1849 and was the leader of the U.S. army's expedition against the Mormons in Utah.

When Texas seceded from the Union in 1861, Johnston resigned from the U.S. army and joined the Confederates. His experience and status made him the obvious choice for commanding the Confederate forces in the West. He formed a defensive line, but the Union steadily pushed it back. Johnston regrouped his forces at Corinth, Mississippi, and prepared to attack General Ulysses S. Grant's forces.

The Confederates ambushed the Union at Shiloh in Tennessee. The Federal forces were surprised, but they recovered and fought back viciously. The Battle of Shiloh was the single bloodiest battle of the war, and among the South's casualties was General Johnston, who died on the battle's first day.

Albert Sidney Johnston was considered one of the South's greatest generals. His death brought great mourning to the South; few generals were as competent as the aged Johnston, who was one of the oldest officers during the war. General Johnston's loss was a terrible blow to the Confederate cause, and he was never replaced by an equally competent commander in the West.

Sources: Columbia Encylopedia, The History Channel Website, Wikipedia